Waves
by Punzie the Platypus
Summary: America and Queen Daphne distract the press so Eadlyn and Eikko, and Ahren and Camille, can finally go to the beach undetected by the media and paparazzi. Eadlyn is in wonder after seeing the ocean for the first time. Eadlyn/Eikko being adorbs. Post-The Crown.


_**Soli Deo gloria**_

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own The Selection or The Heir.  
**

 **Eadlyn/Eikko are the most precious babies. I SHIP THEM SO HARD.**

Queen Daphne clasped her hands over her knees. "This is such a pleasant visit we are enjoying as a family," she said, her accent rich and cheerful.

America nodded. She sat comfortably in her sofa chair; she looked smaller than usual. Her heart attack left her paler, smaller, but still as alive as a spark. "It's just a shame we have to do work at the same time," she said.

"It is a gift we give to our children," Queen Daphne said.

"I apologize anyway, Daphne," America said. The camera crew from the _Report_ was going to shoot a special about the everyday lives of the royals. It was America's decision, technically, to do it while the royal family of France was visiting. But she'd been begged by her two oldest children, and mother of them she might be, but she melted like their father before them. Queen and prince-consort they may be, but when they wanted something, they were her two little babies again.

Queen Daphne scoffed, but she somehow made it sound elegant and intentional. "Please, it is, how you say, 'no skin off my back'. I will do anything for my darling Camille and Ahren. Ah, such a sweet boy. And Eadlyn has earned every second of a vacation. I can imagine she has not gotten much time off, ever since her coronation and marriage to Eikko. The least we can give them is one day alone together."

America sighed, leaning her head against the soft pink of her cushion. "No, she hasn't, poor girl." She thought back to the weeks after her heart attack, and then the weeks before and after the royal wedding. She and Maxon had such a break while Eadlyn hitched herself up and took control. Eikko helped take a few royal duties once they'd been wedded, honeymooned, and properly settled into the palace, but he could only do so much when he wasn't as well-versed in the political lore as Eadlyn was. Working with them but not entirely heading the country was the interim prime minister: Stavros, an old, wise adviser, who was advising the third generation of Schreaves. He might've shouldered many tasks, but the bulk of it still sat on Eadlyn's shoulders.

Between those two running Illéa with Stavros and then Camille preparing for ascension to the French throne with Ahren at her side, those four royals could never catch a break.

America sighed; they were just little babies, all four of them. Now they were ruling countries. It was the wave of the future; she felt suddenly more frail, and older than thirty-seven.

A knock sounded against the door to the Newsome Library; America called out for the knocker to come in. A blond head poked in through the crack in the door, reading glasses balanced on the tip of his nose.

"The luncheon is ready, America. The camera crew is, too." Maxon nodded to Daphne. Daphne nodded back. America looked between them and almost smiled; here was a French girl who'd had a crush on her husband, and now their children were married. It was funny to think about.

Maxon crossed the room and knelt before his wife. Offering his hand, he said, "Are you feeling all right, my dear?"

America's paleness seemed to fade; a redness came over her features. Maxon took off his glasses, grinning, and took up her hand. "I love it when you do that."

"You like to give me heart problems," America grumbled. But she stood up.

He put an arm around her tenderly and said, "You've been giving me heart problems from the moment I laid eyes on you."

America stopped to look him in the eyes; he grinned back at her.

"Come on, loverbirds," Queen Daphne said; hand on the doorknob, she waved them over. "We must have the press focus on us instead of our vacationing children. The public is waiting!"

That was true, so their loving look was cut short with a quick peck from Maxon to his reddened wife before they hurried off to throw off the media's scent.

* * *

"Those are the most beautiful waves," Eadlyn said, her cheek against her husband's bare shoulder. Their bare feet stood in sinking, wet sand, the foamy waves of the Pacific ocean lapping at their toes and engulfing them. They looked out over the sparkling blue waves, over the ocean, at the line where the sky met the horizon in a sharp contrast between two blues.

Eikko tilted his head to look at his dark-haired bride. "Not as beautiful as you."

Eadlyn soaked his words in, and couldn't help the smile growing on her face when he pressed a kiss against her spray-misted forehead.

She sighed and closed her eyes; the salty wind blew around them. Gulls and pelicans flew a little, but ended up walking up and down in little steps across the beach, at home. She felt a tendril of seaweed curling around her toes, and heard the sound of Ahren blowing into shells in some vain attempt at making a trumpet blast; all he did was make Camille laugh her bell-like giggle.

"Oh, I really don't want to go back to the palace," Eadlyn moaned. She leaned her forehead against Eikko.

Eikko wrapped an arm around her slim waist, his fingers dangling and finding hers to squeeze. "I know. It's a hard job." He sighed. "I know it's hard for you. But you're doing an excellent job. I, on the other hand, am scrambling to not disappoint your father."

"Eikko," Eadlyn tsked, "Dad likes being your tutor. He knows you'll make a great prince-consort; he was the king. He knows exactly what to teach you. He has faith in you. You'll be great. Unlike _me_ , who can somehow rule a country and yet not retain the different present verb forms for Finnish." Her voice had changed to become self-deprecating and teasing. It made him laugh.

"We've both got a lot to learn," he said, his thumb making little soothing circles around the palm of your hand, "but we'll learn together."

"If Stavros has enough patience with us both, that is," Eadlyn said. She laughed when he did; their laughs blended together like her parents' did. It was a beautiful thing.

"Eadlyn, stop looking sad; you two come join us!" Ahren called.

Camille clapped her hands. "Indeed, sister. Get off your feet; the sand is warm!"

Eadlyn wanted to join them, but she also didn't want to move away and crack the shell of the little world she and Eikko had just formed together, lost in a moment of foamy ocean waves and sun rays and crumbling sand. "As long as I'm complaining, right now I wish we were alone and the French royalty were back in France."

"You wish Ahren were back in France? You fretted impatiently for a full week before he came," Eikko reminded her.

"That's _obviously_ besides the point, my darling husband. He's interrupting us."

Eikko nuzzled his nose against her neck, smiling; normally he was shyer when showing her such affection around other people; but today, there was a blissful lack of cameras and extensive family members and Stavros. "He just wants us to have a good time."

"Oh, so you weren't having a good time before this?" Eadlyn said. She threw a hand up. "I thought _we_ were having a good time, but I guess I was wrong—"

She'd pulled a classic Mom trick; whenever Mom pulled a fake-annoyed act, Dad always made sure she was soothed; he always left her breathless. And so Eadlyn's breath puffed by the time Eikko took his lips off hers. So she relented, and they joined Ahren and Camille.

All four were ever grateful to their parents for making sure that _no_ media sniffed up their case that day. They'd left in a private car at about seven in the morning; their driver was the only one who knew which bit of private beach property along the Angeles coast they vacationed.

The beach had shocked Eadlyn with its beauty; she'd seen lakes and ponds and pictures (Dad went traveling a lot more when he was younger), but besides an occasional glance at the ocean from a plane flight or along a coast in New Asia when she was thirteen, Eadlyn'd never been to the beach. Eikko had, when he was younger; then Ahren mentioned going to a French beach with Camille soon after their wedding; that was just insult to injury, so Eadlyn swatted his shoulder.

"Ow! I'm sunburned there! Nice hit, Eadlyn. You got your target," Ahren gave her. He rubbed down his bicep.

"Come here and let me kiss it," Camille said; he shifted the sand as he went to sit in the warm sand next to her. Camille kissed his bicep, then turned his reddened cheek to her lips to kiss him there as well.

They'd spent the entire morning in the warm sun; they built sandcastles, competing for the best resemblance to the palace. They covered Ahren in the sand until he couldn't move and his wife, laughing, dug him out. Footraces along the warm ground were a must; shell collections were carefully preserved in little mason jars from their now-empty wicker picnic basket.

Then, that afternoon, they waded in the water. Eikko watched with wonder at Eadlyn; this woman, who could face the entire nation watching her every move and not flinch, allowed such emotion to flood her face the moment a wave lapped up at her knees.

She couldn't help it; the sensation of an ocean, a living body of water, constantly moving and constantly wailing, like creatures called for her, was amazing; it was more foreign to her than France.

Eikko saw such childlike wonder on her face; it was a strange thing to see; Eadlyn was so reserved, always striving to make sure that no one could find a chink in her impenetrable armor. For her to feel _safe_ enough at this place, to be surrounded just by loving family, was enough to peel the armor right off her to discover a softie underneath it all.

She'd told Eikko it was her first time _ever_ at the beach; she never mentioned to him _why_. She only allowed a secret or two to leak out from the hasty pre-engagement discussion she'd had with her father. She loved Eikko, but she'd never tell him Dad's secret. It wasn't a secret of national security; it was her father's.

It was a relaxing day; they ended it with a wade in the shallow water, watching the sun set. Camille giggled and clung to Ahren's arm every time a big wave dissipated and almost knocked them over; he clung to her arm and grinned at her like she was the sun and moon and stars.

Eadlyn and Eikko, on the other hand, waded farther into the ocean. Eikko let himself be dragged, inch by inch, by Eadlyn, deeper into the depths. He'd learned to swim along life's way, but Eadlyn couldn't even dog-paddle. He wouldn't let go of her for the world. He didn't say anything in objection to her pulling him deeper into the heart of the waves; he'd follow her to the ends of the earth.

Eadlyn squealed when her feet fell down; she'd walked off the edge of a sandbar; she went from suddenly having the water at mid-shoulder to being at her ear.

Eikko, still on the sand bar, reacted instantly. He pulled her back by the hand into his chest, 'til her feet found secure footing on the sandbar.

"Thanks; I got a little carried away," Eadlyn said, looking up into his quiet, handsome eyes.

"By the water?" Eikko asked.

"No. My own ambitions. My wandering." She snuggled against his chest. "That's why I've got you to pull me back before I go under."

Eikko smiled; he scooped Eadlyn up in his arms; she was so light in the water; she let him fight the pushing, shoving, living waves to bring them to shore; when the water was as high as his toes, he turned around and Eadlyn lifted her head from his shoulder and took one last good look at this beautiful place she'd never before been: at the multi-layered sky, with its alternating moments of orange and pink; her brother and sister-in-law kissing in the remaining light; and the ocean. The seemingly never-ending ocean, full of foam and deep blue and echoing and depths and waves.

She forgave Dad, of course. But she also felt a little stirring in her soul for this ocean.

She tilted her head to look up at Eikko's wondering eyes. "Let's come here every year."

"Of course. It'll be a day for us to just get away." He smiled. "Maybe we'll be able to do it without the media having to be distracted."

"Oh, that won't be able to happen. Actually, I can imagine the headlines for tomorrow. 'Royal visit, royal twins and spouses nowhere to be found—!"

Usually Eikko let her speak, but right now he just kissed her. She felt sand in his hair as she lost her fingers in it.

So the day ended as it began; in the palace car with her loving husband, and her brother and sister-in-law enamored with each other on the far side of the long car. But what was different from this morning was the sunburn rising on Eadlyn's bronze cheeks, and the phantom motion of waves pushing and pulling against her legs.

With these two feelings of the beach remaining with her, Eadlyn fell asleep against Eikko's shoulder, her last thoughts wondering after those living waves.

 **I realized halfway through I was thinking of Kiera and The Siren with the ocean. It just made sense.**

 **Also, I'm _slightly_ outraged by the fact that there IS NO ERIC/EIKKO K. CHARACTER BOX! Someone add him, _please_!**

 **Thanks for reading! Review?**


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